‘Meet the Press’ marks 75 years with special open, logo and, of course, mugs

By Michael P. Hill November 7, 2022

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NBC News‘ “Meet the PressSunday morning political affairs program marked its 75th anniversary Nov. 6, 2022 with the introduction of a special logo and bug.

Nov. 6 happened to mark the show’s anniversary to the day — it first aired Nov. 6, 1947 as an evening offering.

For the occasion, the show’s normal logo and open have been modified to add an oversized “75th” behind it in sans serif with the “th” neatly tucked into the negative space at the top of the “5.”

Meanwhile, NBC is also making note of the occasion with “75 years” blacked in a black box under the normal bug set in what appears to be a different sans serif.

The show’s on-set mugs were also updated Nov. 6, and moderator Chuck Todd held a toast with them.

Todd was in New York ahead of the 2022 midterm elections. NBC once again transformed Studio 1A into its election headquarters and he hosted the show from behind the network’s longtime stacked star anchor desk, though it’s now sans the extra side extensions added into 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

“MTP” is known as being the longest-running show in television history, as actor Dennis Haysbert reminds viewers each week in the open.

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The show draws it history even farther back than 1947 — dating back to 1945 on the radio.

The original format of the show used a press conference-style panel who would pose questions to a guest, hence the name of the show.

Although that format is no longer used, the show still survives and is known, along with “Face the Nation” and “This Week” for generating compelling political interviews and soundbites each week. 

NBC has expanded the franchise into “MTP Daily,” a former daily show on MSNBC that has since morphed into “Meet the Press Now” on the network’s NBC News Now streamer.

Perhaps the most notable moderator of the show in recent years was Tim Russert, who died in 2008, and lead the show to high ratings.

These days, “MTP” averaged third place in total viewers during 2021 to 2022, getting around 2.57 million. 

These lower ratings have lead to some speculation that Todd could be replaced as moderator, with “Today” co-anchor Savannah Guthrie mentioned as a possibility, though NBC has not made any official comment on changes.

CBS’s “Face the Nation” leads in total viewers with 2.95 million and ABC’s “This Week” at 2.69 million.

“Face the Nation” is unique in that it’s offered in two 30-minute segments. Many affiliates carry the first 30 minutes and the segue into the second half, but some do not and the network provides a natural break at the 30-minute mark for those situations. 

In other markets, “FTN” is aired twice but with one airing being the full 60 minuets and the other the shorter version.

Sunday morning political affairs shows also tend to air at varying times that can depend on local station management or group owner and the market’s time zone.

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